Highest-paying jobs in Dallas for high school graduates

For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.

According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.

With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.

Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Dallas for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.

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1 / 50

#50. Service unit operators, oil and gas

- Median annual wage: $62,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.14
- Total employment: 730 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $62,870
- Median hourly wage: $30.23
- Total employment: 12,240 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jat306 // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $63,000
- Median hourly wage: $30.29
- Total employment: 710 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $63,090
- Median hourly wage: $30.33
- Total employment: Not available

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles

- Median annual wage: $63,280
- Median hourly wage: $30.43
- Total employment: 450 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $63,450
- Median hourly wage: $30.51
- Total employment: 4,410 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $63,490
- Median hourly wage: $30.52
- Total employment: 6,620 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $63,570
- Median hourly wage: $30.56
- Total employment: 26,660 people (6.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Parilov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $63,780
- Median hourly wage: $30.67
- Total employment: 40 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Bus drivers, transit and intercity

- Median annual wage: $63,930
- Median hourly wage: $30.74
- Total employment: 1,830 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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BearFotos // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $64,000
- Median hourly wage: $30.77
- Total employment: 590 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

APChanel // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Locomotive engineers

- Median annual wage: $64,170
- Median hourly wage: $30.85
- Total employment: 240 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $64,730
- Median hourly wage: $31.12
- Total employment: 1,210 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $65,100
- Median hourly wage: $31.30
- Total employment: 17,550 people (4.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Transportation security screeners

- Median annual wage: $65,120
- Median hourly wage: $31.31
- Total employment: 1,650 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Chay_Tee // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Tax preparers

- Median annual wage: $67,360
- Median hourly wage: $32.38
- Total employment: 1,850 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $69,360
- Median hourly wage: $33.35
- Total employment: 52,440 people (13.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

- Median annual wage: $70,150
- Median hourly wage: $33.73
- Total employment: 90 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

anatoliy_gleb // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Derrick operators, oil and gas

- Median annual wage: $70,390
- Median hourly wage: $33.84
- Total employment: 390 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators

- Median annual wage: $72,030
- Median hourly wage: $34.63
- Total employment: 110 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $72,130
- Median hourly wage: $34.68
- Total employment: 310 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $74,570
- Median hourly wage: $35.85
- Total employment: 1,380 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $75,120
- Median hourly wage: $36.11
- Total employment: 21,900 people (5.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisKlimov // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $75,170
- Median hourly wage: $36.14
- Total employment: 580 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $76,410
- Median hourly wage: $36.74
- Total employment: 18,280 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $77,260
- Median hourly wage: $37.14
- Total employment: 6,520 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $77,480
- Median hourly wage: $37.25
- Total employment: 2,230 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $77,520
- Median hourly wage: $37.27
- Total employment: 5,530 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $77,690
- Median hourly wage: $37.35
- Total employment: 8,960 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $77,860
- Median hourly wage: $37.43
- Total employment: 3,100 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Vladimir Endovitskiy // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas

- Median annual wage: $78,220
- Median hourly wage: $37.61
- Total employment: 430 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Wellhead pumpers

- Median annual wage: $78,230
- Median hourly wage: $37.61
- Total employment: 920 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $78,470
- Median hourly wage: $37.73
- Total employment: 410 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ITisha // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Bailiffs

- Median annual wage: $79,330
- Median hourly wage: $38.14
- Total employment: 70 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Gas plant operators

- Median annual wage: $80,420
- Median hourly wage: $38.67
- Total employment: 200 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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First Class Photography // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers

- Median annual wage: $83,870
- Median hourly wage: $40.32
- Total employment: 2,450 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $84,980
- Median hourly wage: $40.86
- Total employment: 1,850 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $85,780
- Median hourly wage: $41.24
- Total employment: 8,920 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Model makers, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $85,820
- Median hourly wage: $41.26
- Total employment: 70 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $91,470
- Median hourly wage: $43.97
- Total employment: 16,120 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Neale Cousland // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Athletes and sports competitors

- Median annual wage: $94,660
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 490 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $96,060
- Median hourly wage: $46.18
- Total employment: 840 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

socrates471 // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Media and communication equipment workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $97,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.73
- Total employment: 80 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ken Wolter // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Postmasters and mail superintendents

- Median annual wage: $99,590
- Median hourly wage: $47.88
- Total employment: 100 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $101,990
- Median hourly wage: $49.04
- Total employment: 9,740 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $103,010
- Median hourly wage: $49.53
- Total employment: 180 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $104,470
- Median hourly wage: $50.23
- Total employment: 430 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lovely Bird // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Power distributors and dispatchers

- Median annual wage: $107,880
- Median hourly wage: $51.87
- Total employment: 210 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Washburn HM // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Transportation inspectors

- Median annual wage: $112,340
- Median hourly wage: $54.01
- Total employment: 980 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $121,470
- Median hourly wage: $58.40
- Total employment: 1,430 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.